草枯れの冬まで見よと露霜の
置きて残せる白菊の花
置きて残せる白菊の花
- Roma-ji
-
Kusagare no fuyu made miyo to tsuyujimo no okite nokoseru shiragiku no hana
- English Translation
-
Until withered grass
of winter, "Gaze on it still,"
as if the frosty dew,
settling, had left it behind:
the white chrysanthemum
- Meaning
- As if the frosty dew had settled on it and left it standing, saying "Look upon it until the grasses wither in winter," the white chrysanthemum remains.
- Commentary
-
Book Three Autumn Poems 129
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
This is a poem by Sone no Yoshitada. While the other grasses have withered and only the white chrysanthemum remains, he imagines that the frosty dew has deliberately spared it so that it may be enjoyed until winter.
The reversal, portraying frost that withers plants as a gentle presence that spares the chrysanthemum, is fresh. Whereas the two preceding poems grieve over fading chrysanthemums, this one rejoices in the one that remains, closing the chrysanthemum sequence.
The first line, "kusagare no," means "grasses withering," showing the fields of late autumn into winter.
The second line, "fuyu made miyo to," means "as if saying, look until winter," guessing the frost's intent.
The third line, "tsuyujimo no," is dew frozen like frost, which withers the grass.
In the fourth line, "okite nokoseru," oku layers the frost settling and the act of leaving something as it is.
The last line, "shiragiku no hana," ends on a noun and echoes "shiragiku no" in 127 in this book, closing the chrysanthemum sequence with the white chrysanthemum that remains.
- Author
- Sone no Yoshitada
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Kotoshi mata sakubeki hana no araba koso utsurou kiku ni mekare o mo seme
- Next Poem
-
Seki koyuru hito ni towabaya Michinoku no Adachi no mayumi momijishiniki ya